Sir Andre Geim won an Ig Nobel prize for suspending a frog in mid-airJOEL GOODMAN/LNP/REX FEATURES

Long before Sir Andre Geim won the Nobel prize in physics for his work on graphene he gave us the hovering frog.

Suspended in mid-air by a magnetic field, the amphibian became one of the most famous and disconcerting experiments of the past two decades. It won Sir Andre the Ig Nobel prize, which celebrates unusual research, making him the only scientist with both accolades.

Scientists at Bristol University have now published a simple set of instructions that anyone can use to build a levitation machine of their own for less than £60.

The device, which is strung together from parking sensors and a handful of circuit boards, uses soundwaves to raise anything from glass beads to beetles.